This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
On August 22, 2019, Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi made history by becoming the first leader from the southern African state to visit Russia in two decades. The visit marked a significant milestone in the strengthening of ties between the two nations.
The visit came just weeks after Nyusi's government signed a peace deal with the former rebel movement Renamo, and two months before the country's presidential elections, in which Nyusi will seek a second term.
Russia has been actively expanding its influence in Africa, and Mozambique has already signed a debt swap agreement with Moscow in 2017. Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $115 million (103.7 million euros) in 2018.
Speaking after signing the accords, Putin noted that while commercial and economic relations between the two countries were still modest, they had good prospects. The agreements include cooperation between the two nations' interior ministries on information protection and a deal with Russian oil producer Rosneft.
Mozambique is looking to develop its natural gas reserves, which could make the country a major exporter of liquified natural gas. However, the country faces a threat from an Islamist insurgency in the north.
